Groundwater Cleanup Costs Estimated

WILLIAMSBURG — Cleanup of groundwater contamination at the old Bruton Heights School property will cost almost $120,000, according to a consultant's study released Tuesday.

The cost will be shared equally by Colonial Williamsburg, the city and James City County.

The report recommends removal of the 10,000-gallon heating oil tank on the 30-acre site and excavation and removal of contaminated soil.

The soil would be trucked to an incinerator in Fredericksburg, where the heating oil would be burned off. The remaining soil then would be used as landfill cover.

Two other options - depositing the oil-soaked soil at the landfill and bio-remediation - were considered in the report.

Due to higher tipping fees, cost for the landfill option would be $20,000 more. Bio-remediation - which uses soil bacteria to break down the contaminants - would cost approximately the same as incineration but is dependent on the temperature and might be delayed by cold weather.

Although the levels of dissolved petroleum exceed EPA criteria, there is no threat to public health because Williamsburg obtains its drinking water from the Waller Mill Reservoir 1.5 miles away, said Tom Madigan, a consultant with the State Water Control Board.

The contamination was discovered during an environmen tal survey conducted in October by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc.

CW, the city and county agreed in July to swap the school property owned by the city and county for land now owned by CW. The city will receive CW's Boundary Street Office Building and the Conservation Laboratory on North Henry Street. The county will receive two tracts of undeveloped land totaling 75 acres off Route 60, east of Carter's Grove Plantation.

The state water board will review the study and prepare a response, Madigan said.

The consultant will be required to prepare a detailed plan for the cleanup within 45 days of the response.

After that plan is released, the public will have some time to comment on it.